


Courtside

by triggeringthehealing (froggydarren)



Series: FullmoonFiclet Entries [106]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Basketball, Crushes, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski are the Same Age, Everybody Lives, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 09:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15288594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/pseuds/triggeringthehealing
Summary: No, Stiles is not stalking anyone. He just has an interest in supporting the school’s basketball team. That’s not a crime, is it?





	Courtside

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Full Moon Ficlet](http://fullmoonficlet.tumblr.com/) challenge - prompt #284: seed
> 
> please excuse artistic liberties taken with anything sports related.

Stiles never had time for following sports news. Or maybe he just didn't have any interest, at least not in the past. Now though, now he's glued to the local TV station, waiting for the report that was supposed to be aired an hour earlier but got delayed. 

Because he's developed a vested interest in the state high school tournament. He's been following the friendlies, sat in the top row for every Beacon Hills home game, drove to a few away ones. No matter what Scott says, he's not obsessed though. He's just... developed a love for the game, that's all. 

"Stiles come on," Scott complains, tugging on Stiles's sleeve. "You promised we'd do this mission, like, half an hour ago."

"I'll switch over in a minute," Stiles says, eyes still on the TV screen and remote firmly in his hand. 

"You said that  _half an hour ago_ ," Scot tells him. 

"Yeah but I didn't know the announcement would be delayed," Stiles replies. 

There's a marquee running over the bottom of the screen, informing him of what he already knows. That the seed for the state championship's group stage has been delayed and will be aired shortly. 

"Can we just, you know,  _play_ , and you'll catch the results later?" 

Stiles tears his eyes away from the screen and glares at Scott like he's said something unforgivable. 

"Or you know, just let Derek text you?" Scott smirks and ducks the smack that Stiles attempts to aim at him. 

"Derek's got nothing to do with this," Stiles protests, slumping into the couch with a huff. 

"Yeah buddy, it's not like you started being obsessed with the basketball team right around the time Derek Hale was put in the starting lineup," Scott says. "I mean, did you even know the school  _had_  a basketball team before that?" 

"I did!" Stiles says, maybe a little too fast. "I absolutely knew. All last year, I knew." 

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" 

Scott raises an eyebrow at him, clearly knowing the truth. 

"Fine," Stiles admits. "So I didn't pay any attention until this year." 

"You know it would probably be a better idea to just, like, ask him out," Scott says. "Instead of being a stalker." 

"Excuse me, I'm not a stalker," Stiles says, but even he knows that it's a very fine line between his following of Derek's games and what his law enforcement officer father would see as stalking. "Also I'm pretty sure he doesn't know I exist," he says in a defeated tone. "Watching from afar is all I've got."

"Lydia didn't know you existed  _for real_  and that didn't stop you from wooing her for years," Scott points out. "Remember when I asked her if she'd want to join us for a study group and--"

"Yes, Scott, I remember that  _vividly_ , thank you for the reminder," Stiles interrupts him, the memory still painful even though he's now not only  _over_  strawberry blonde princesses but also actually good friends with Lydia Martin, despite their ongoing battle for class valedictorian. 

Or maybe because of it. Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer and all that.

"I'm telling you, he's not going to say no," Scott says. "Anyway, you're missing the seed announcement." 

Stiles turns to the TV fast enough that for a second he feels dizzy. Then his attention is fully on the list on the screen and the presenter's voice and he memorizes the upcoming schedule and teams for the state tournament. 

-=-=-=-

Scott's words, no matter how little Stiles believes them, keep playing in his mind for the next few months. He continues to go to all the games, with increasingly lesser subtlety about whom he's watching during them. He  _does not_  include Derek's number or name on any of his banners but it's only because he refuses to let Scott help. He does, however, drag Scott to the games, in return for Scott making him sit on the bench for lacrosse. 

"They could win this year," Scott says a few months, when the BHHS team is clearly on the way to the finals, clear out of the group stage and on a winning streak through the playoffs. 

"It's a good lineup," Stiles agrees. "Told you they're worth supporting." 

He pointedly ignores Scott's judging glare. 

"Ally asked me about us being at all the games, you know," Scott tells Stiles after a while, as the cheerleaders do their warm-up routines on the court. "She thought I was there for her."

"You two broke up, like, two years ago," Stiles says, frowning in the direction of the cheerleaders, one of whom happens to be Allison, Scott's ex-girlfriend. "Why would she think that?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she was just trying to see  _why_  we were here all the time."

"You didn't say anything, did you?" 

Stiles feels a little panic rising in his chest. The team and the cheerleaders are close -- he knows that Allison and Derek especially hang out a lot even away from training -- and while he's okay with Scott having figured out why Stiles has such a dedication to the games, he's not at all okay with anyone else knowing. 

"I told her it's about school spirit."

"There's no way she believed that." Stiles scoffs. 

"I also told her Coach is making us support other teams because he wants  _them_  to come to support us," Scott adds, grinning. "That, she did believe."

"Well, yeah. Just don't let Coach hear you say that, or we'll spend more time cheering on other teams than anything else," Stiles says, eyes back on the bench, where the team is slowly gathering for the game. 

They're closer to the court today. The back rows where Stiles usually chooses to sit were already occupied when he and Scott got there. It's also an away game, and their school has seating allocated right behind their own bench. Because Scott insisted on driving -- something about practice for his own car -- the only places left were right behind the team's non-playing members. 

"Hey McCall," comes from the seats in front of them and Stiles turns to see Boyd waving at Scott. "Coach still on to you about the whole team spirit bullshit?" 

"Yeah," Scott answers easily. 

Stiles narrows his eyes, wondering when Scott learned how to lie. 

"Why aren't you up front?" Scott follows up, drawing attention from Boyd's question.

"Muscle strain. Doc has me on break for today, so I can play the finals," Boyd explains. 

"Damn man, that sucks." 

Stiles tunes out of their conversation about injuries that follows that exchange. He's never had that issue, despite being forced to do cross-country during the off-season and the occasional game he got to play. Scott knows a little about dealing with being benched -- Stiles at first wasn't even sure Scott  _could_  play, since his asthma was an issue all through middle school -- and him and Boyd swap tips and stories. 

Meanwhile, the team moves from the bench to the court to warm up. Stiles tries to remember to watch all of them, not just Derek, but he's pretty sure he's not as subtle as he'd like to be. Luckily, it seems like he's getting away with it today and no one is paying him attention. 

"Hey, Boyd said the team's going for burgers on the way back," Scott tells Stiles during one of the breaks in the game. "Said since we made the effort to drive out, we should join them. I said we would."

"Scott,  _why_?" Stiles managed, but then the game is back on and their attention pulled away. 

The game ends with another clear win for Beacon Hills and Scott and Stiles join in on the victory cheers. Despite Stiles's protests, Scott confirms with Boyd that they'll join the team at the diner on the way back home. And since Scott still has the keys to the Jeep, Stiles has no choice but to sit in the passenger seat and pout in protest. 

At the diner -- about halfway on the way home -- the team takes over several booths. Stiles attempts to snag a seat with the cheerleaders since he's on friendly terms with Erica, but he's tugged into one by Scott before he can steer anywhere by himself. He's staring at the menu and debating whether he wants to test this place's curly fries or go safe and just order a milkshake when a shadow falls over the page. He looks up and freezes.

"Hey Stiles," Derek says, a soft smile playing on his lips. 

"H-hi," Stiles stutters a response, feeling the heat in his cheeks. 

"Thanks for coming to the game tonight," Derek tells him as he sits down. "It's great to have people from home at the away games."

Stiles nods, not sure what he's supposed to say. Which, he's pretty sure Scott would say, is a first in his entire life. 

"Hey, your lucky charm is here, Hale," one of the other guys shouts from the other booth, drawing Stiles's attention. "Thanks for helping us win, Stilinski!" 

When Stiles looks back at Derek, he sees the way his cheeks are darkening. 

"What?" 

"It's nothing," Derek mutters, but he's obviously nervous, shredding a napkin with his fingers. 

Stiles waits. 

"We started winning when you started coming to the games," Derek says quietly. "Lost the ones you weren't at." 

"How does that make me  _your_  lucky charm?" 

Derek mumbles something in response, but Stiles can't make it out. 

"What?" 

He's confused and his mind is already coming up with ideas, half of which he would love to be true, the other half so outlandish that he's not even going to try believing them. Beside him, Derek grabs another napkin and starts shredding it, then he takes a deep breath before he starts talking again, this time a little more clearly.

"The guys say I play better when you're there. Showing off." 

"Oh." 

There's a pause, then Stiles's curiosity gets the better of him and he blurts the question that's taken over his mind. 

"Do you?" 

Derek -- still staring at the table and the napkin in his fingers -- sighs. 

"Maybe. A bit," he says quietly, not looking at Stiles. 

_Holy shit_ , Stiles thinks. Then he freezes when he hears a chuckle from his other side, where Scott is pretending not to listen in to the conversation. 

"Oh." 

Finally, Derek glances in Stiles's direction, but only for a second. He looks away fast, cheeks burning but a small smile playing on his lips. Stiles blushes in return. 

"Hey Stiles, I'm taking a ride on the bus on the way home, they're going to drop me off," Scott says, breaking the tension a little.

"Right." 

"I think I'm taking Derek's spot though, would you mind driving him?" 

Stiles turns around and stares at Scott with his jaw dropped, speechless for the second time in one evening. Then he nods and turns to Derek.

"Is that okay? We could talk." 

Derek nods. A beat later, his fingers stop pulling apart the napkin and he drops one of his hands under the table, finding Stiles's own and he links their fingers together. Stiles absolutely does not blush. 

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://froggydarren.tumblr.com/) || [my sterek fic tumblr](http://triggeringthehealing.tumblr.com/)


End file.
